No More Ladies (1935) User Reviews (27)

The Pecking Order

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 22 October 2007]

Though the careers of Robert Montgomery, Joan Crawford, and her husband at the time, Franchot Tone's respective careers were not hurt by films like No More Ladies, this was the kind of stuff all three of these players were looking to get out of.

There was a truism at MGM back in its heyday. For films where the men wear tuxedos you first get Robert Montgomery. If he turns it down get Franchot Tone. If it's bad enough for Tone to turn it down God help him, Robert Young is stuck with it. So knowing the pecking order and knowing the billing, you can guess who Crawford winds up with.

Robert Montgomery plays another of those irrepressible womanizing playboys who's sowed enough wild oats to qualify for a farm subsidy. He's decided to settle down with society girl Joan Crawford who has certain ideas about infidelity and how wrong it is. Montgomery behaves at first, but when he uses their perpetually inebriated friend Charlie Ruggles as an alibi that doesn't hold up, Crawford decides on some revenge with Franchot Tone.

No More Ladies is harmless enough and when Edna May Oliver as Joan's grandmother is on the screen, always entertaining. But it was the stuff that MGM was grinding out in its dream factory. It was a case of Montgomery and Tone look great in tuxedos so cast them as urban playboys.

Well, both of them did look great, Louis B. Mayer wasn't wrong about that.

Seldom seen Joan Crawford vehicle

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 8 November 2005]

This is a film that came between two of Joan Crawford's best work in the movies, while still employed by MGM, "Grand Hotel" and "The Women". This is a film seldom seen these days. Thanks to TCM we had the opportunity to watch it.

In fact, "No More Ladies", is an adaptation of a stage play. Even though George Cukor was not given credit for helping Edward Griffith with the direction, the adaptation can't circumvent the fact one is watching a theatrical play the way it unfolds on the screen. Donald Ogden Stewart, a talented screen writer is among the several people that collaborated with the script. The problem with the screen play is that if feels too artificial.

The film is worth a look because of the star turn by Edna May Oliver, who as Fanny, steals the picture from its principals. Although not a radiant beauty, Ms. Oliver makes her presence known from the start because of her wit and the lines she delivers with absolute conviction and flair. As Neil Doyle has commented in this page, Ms. Oliver is the best thing in the film.

Joan Crawford is Marcia, the rich girl in love with Sherry, a man who has an eye for beautiful women and who doesn't mind straying. Ms. Crawford, dressed by Adrian, shows she had a way to show herself at an advantage in front of the camera, who loved her features, but somehow she comes across as too remote and she doesn't seem to have too much chemistry with her co-star.

Robert Montgomery plays Sherry, the man who can't keep away from women, as is the case when he meets Theresa, an attractive girl about town who couldn't care less if he belongs to another. Mr. Montgomery was an actor well suited for this type of comedy. He is always effective in the characters he portrays in film.

The supporting cast is interesting. Gail Patrick is perfect as Theresa, a role she was always good at portraying. Franchot Tone and especially Charles Ruggles, are seen at their best. This film marked the debut of Joan Fontaine, billed as Joan Burfield, in a small part.

"No More Ladies" is a curiosity film made more enjoyable by the presence of Edna May Oliver.

lifestyles of the rich and unfaithful

[blanche-2 · 5/10 · 6 February 2006]

Broadway must have had dozens of these drawing room comedies featuring rich, well-dressed people speaking snappily to one another. I say "must have" because Hollywood seems to have adapted all of them. "No More Ladies" is yet another one, and for my money, it's pretty routine. Joan Crawford is a rich girl in love with a cad, played by Robert Montgomery. They marry and he's still a cad. In fact, instead of going to their country house one weekend, he delays his trip and has a dalliance with a woman named Therese. He admits this when he finally shows up in the country. He has little choice when he learns that his alibi, Charlie Ruggles, is actually at the country home. In retaliation, Crawford invites an old beau and a couple of ex-girlfriends to a huge party.

The dialogue is witty, the clothes are glamorous, the apartment and house are sumptuous, and the performances are very good. Montgomery was always perfect in these roles, and Crawford is attractive and spars with Montgomery well. Edna Mae Oliver is superb as always. Charles Ruggles plays a somewhat annoying drunk. Gail Patrick, who became Gail Patrick Jackson and produced "Perry Mason," having married Erle Stanley Gardner's agent, does very well as the pretty other woman.

This is one of those films where one asks, so why wasn't I crazy about it? The only reason is that there was a sameness about it and nothing really to differentiate it - including the cast - from all the other light, romantic comedies. It's no wonder that Robert Montgomery fought so hard to make "Night Must Fall." He was incredibly bored with these roles. It's understandable.

Joan tries to tame a cheater.

[Poseidon-3 · 1 November 2007]

One of many sophisticated, romantic, comedic trifles to emerge from the 1930's, this one has its merits, but is also fairly unremarkable. Crawford plays a petulant socialite who's tired of the inconsistent attention that her beau Montgomery pays to her. He has a well-deserved reputation as a ladies' man and she wants to be his only lady. On a bit of a whim, they marry and settle in peaceably, for a few moments. Before long, he, almost instinctively from years of doing so, is romancing his pal Ruggles' lady friend Patrick and standing up Crawford who's staying at the country home. When she finds out about his indiscretion, she sets out to teach him a lesson by inviting Ruggles, Montgomery's former flame Osborne, Osborne's former husband Tone, her current husband Treacher and even Patrick down for the weekend! (There's also a sizable sheepdog along for the ride.) Crawford uses Tone to make Montgomery jealous while he endures the presence of the various characters she's included in the mix. Presiding over everyone is Crawford's snappy, sassy aunt Oliver who rarely let's an incident go by without some bit of commentary. Crawford looks terrific in this film, all eyes and mouth and with striking Adrien gowns (though she does sport one icky set of bangs during one sequence.) Her performance contains a range of emotions from anger to tears to sarcasm, but it's a bit heavy for something this fluffy. Montgomery is properly charming, but plays a pretty unsympathetic character. He's a wolf. Ruggles' tipsy role will appeal or repel an equal number of people depending on their taste. Tone is given little to do but look dashing in a tuxedo and provide a dot of conflict with Montgomery. Patrick gives a knowing and secure portrayal, offering some needed carnality in this era of the Hayes code, which restricted what could be said and shown. Osborne and Treacher are amusing as a newly married, yet mismatched, couple. Really, the best thing about the film is snarky, wizened Oliver, who milks her role for every drop of humor, wit and presence it is capable of providing. Also popping up for a few seconds is Fontaine as one of Montgomery's jilted girlfriends. It's an attractive film with art deco-style sets and fancy clothes, but there's nothing particularly striking or memorable about it. These types of stories have been done many times and often in a more entertaining fashion, though it's also not a bad film. Fans of the stars, especially of Oliver, should enjoy it more than others.

Smart dark comedy

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 1 June 2019]

Since I like both Robert Montgomery and Franchot Tone, and I also like Joan Crawford better when she's younger, it was an easy guess that I'd like the romantic comedy No More Ladies. As it turned out, the film was far more of a drama than I thought, but the biting quips kept flying often enough to qualify it as a dark comedy.

Joan starts the film hopelessly in love with Robert Montgomery. He's handsome and enormously charming and can talk his way out of any mistake, whether it's tardiness or infidelity. Joan knows exactly what type of cad he is and yet she wants to marry him anyway. After they're married, she expects him to keep his roving eye in check, but he doesn't. Depending on whether or not you like Robert Montgomery will probably be the deciding factor for you as to whether or not you like the overall film. If you think he's a terrible cad who has no excuse of losing his will-power whenever a skirt walks past, you'll want Joan to go to Reno and get over him. If you think he has appallingly low self-control but really does love his wife and just needs to be watched like a puppy, you won't want her to drive to Reno. You might want her to team up with her supportive grandmother, Edna May Oliver, and throw a party akin to A Little Night Music or Smart Woman. You might want her to use her handsome friend Franchot Tone to make her husband jealous. It's a little eerie to watch Joan and Franchot's scenes together since this movie was made before they were married and most of Franchot's dialogue consists of bitter complaints about his ex-wife. However, they're both young and pretty, and it's nice to see them during happier times. It's also nice to see Joan's beautiful dresses, designed by the very talented Adrian.

Just a time-passer

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 24 October 2007]

Robert Montgomery plays a rich guy without much character. Most of the time, he'd prefer to be chasing skirts. So, when his girlfriend (Joan Crawford) is bored, they decide to get married--even though Robert's track record with serious relationships is horrendous. A short time after the marriage, Robert decides to start chasing other women--leaving poor Joan to cry and bemoan her fate. Considering he never pretended to be anything else other than a shallow ladies man, it seemed odd that she was so saddened by his predictable behavior.

So far in the film, I was not impressed. The characters either seemed selfish and unlikable (Montgomery) or hopelessly stupid (Crawford). For comic relief, Charlie Ruggles did a bad drunk characterization that was supposed to be cute but frankly just annoyed me. So considering that I kept watching the film is a bit of a surprise.

Fortunately, the film did get much better. Instead of whining at length, Joan came up with a clever plan to try to win back her husband's love and attention. While this was much more watchable, I kept thinking to myself "why would she want him back?!", but despite this it at least kept my interest.

The bottom line is that I had a hard time caring about the character (especially since rich folks who make themselves miserable are hard to relate to or worry about). Because of this, the film definitely falls into the "time passer" category and not much more. Fans of the actors may want to tune it, but others probably can just skip this one. There are just better films out there from this time period--ones that will engage you.

A Chinese Food Sort Of Movie

[boblipton · 6/10 · 12 June 2020]

Well, I had seen No More Ladies (1935), but like many a movie, had no memory of it. So I remedied that, which I mildly regret.

Joan Crawford gets married to Robert Montgomery. He's a Production-Code-compliant womanizer, and she soon comes to regret it, in part because she remains in love with him and because, as she explains to grandmother Edna May Oliver, being a wife means something to her.

It's one of those movies that, had it been made five years earlier, would have examined what being a wife means to a modern woman. This being 1935, however, these matters are all certainties, and Montgomery's philandering consists solely of drinking in a bar and talking. The audience must infer the rest.

That sort of inference is what screwball comedy hung its hat on, and this looks like MGM thought they were doing screwball, except the lines aren't terribly funny, nor the actors, with the exception of Arthur Treacher, as an English lord who begins as incomprehensible until he falls under the influence of American comic strips. Director Edward Griffith has a cast of expert farceurs, including Miss Oliver, Treacher, Charlies Ruggles, and Reginald Denny, all of whom perform their roles well. Have you ever watched Miss Oliver and noted how gracefully she moves? This is the movie for that.

In short, this is a well produced, well performed movie that is about nothing except what the briefest of descriptions might turn it. I anticipate I shall forget it again in short order.

More pathos than romance in this listless but sometimes biting comedy

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 1 February 2021]

There's a word for the character, Sherry Warren, often used in the past, that much better describes him than the most frequently used polite term, womanizer. Robert Montgomery's role in "No More Ladies," may be the best character performance of the worst despicable cad in films. His sweet appearance, persona and laissez faire attitude about relationships, responsibility, love and marriage are revolting to real manhood. He's hedonistic, completely self-centered and selfish. And he's a consummate liar whose off-hand insistences of his honesty show him to be a person with little to no ethics or morality.

After a number of scenes in which Sherry lies to Joan Crawford's Marcia or someone else, Marcia catches him in a direct lie to her. Then when they are together and Marcia asks him about honesty and his other loves, he says, "No lies, you understand. Never have been any. Never will be any. Now do you want an answer?" When Marcia says, "Please," he says, "Yes. I would have told you anyway. I couldn't have lied to you."

With a cast of huge names of the day, "No More Ladies" just covered its budget in box office sales with a small domestic market profit. One has to wonder what many people thought watching such a film in the midst of the Great Depression. Where many films about wealthy and night time partying were uplifting because they had some real comedy and/or involved working people, the entire setting for this film is super wealthy, idle-rich, and most of the people living solely for their individual personal pleasure at the moment. Charles Ruggles' character, Edgar, is a sot, three-sheets to the wind most of the time.

This film is a very talky one, and it has spry dialog that is witty at times, conflicted at times, and very funny on occasion. Joan Crawford plays opposite Montgomery and has top billing by MGM for the female glamor appeal. Besides another leading man of the period in a supporting role - Franchot Tone (who would marry Crawford five months after this film came out), a top supporting cast includes Charles Ruggles, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Denny, Arthur Treacher, and Gail Patrick. It's also the first film appearance of Joan Fontaine at age 17, under the name of Joan Burfield.

Movie buffs may find this movie interesting for its hedonistic portrayal of a rare segment of the population in the mid-1930s, and for the wordy dialog, especially the skewed philosophical remarks at times.

None of the performances are outstanding, and the subject matter of loose, carefree living with no regard for most people isn't very appealing as a theme. So, many people might be put off by it while others will find it quite boring. My six stars are for the cast and writing of the quick exchanges in dialog - not necessarily the screenplay itself.

Here are some favorite lines.

Fanny, "I know - my contemporaries give me a swift pain. So do most old people."

Oliver, "You look exactly as a man wants a grandmother to look." Fanny, "I know - I always have."

Edgar, "He drinks like a fish - like two fishes."

Marcia, "Sherry, you've played around with life so long, you won't know an honest emotion if you saw one."

Sherry, "Marcia wouldn't marry me." Fanny, "Don't be sure. She hasn't got much sense. I sort of counted on you. Now I can't even be sure of you."

Sherry, "I'm sorry. I thought you liked having me around more or less." Marcia, "I do. More, or less. Either one or the other. There now you've got it." Sherry, "You, you, you aren't asking me to... to marry you by any...no thank you ... I hate olives."

Sherry, "Why don't people trust me?" Fanny, "Maybe it's because they know you."

Fanny, "Any crook worthy of the name has a getaway arranged."

Marcia, "Are all fighters affectionate?" Sherry, "I don't, as a rule, neck them." Marcia, "What a lot you miss."

Fanny, "Good heavens, Casabianca. The ship's sinking."

Marcia, on the phone with Sherry, "What? Fanny says you're nothing to boast about in any circle."

Sherry, checking his watch, "Maybe I'm a little slow." Theresa, "That isn't what I heard about you."

Edgar, "Where do you suppose that girl went? Maybe she's been kidnapped. I wouldn't put it past her."

Fanny, "She swiped your car, kidnapped your prize-fighter, and disappeared into the night - I feel better now."

Edgar, pointing to a Pekingese dog a woman is carrying, "Do you think it'll be safe with that little hors d'oeuvre going in the same car with Rover? Heh, heh, he hasn't had his dinner yet, you know."

Trying to be Noel Coward-like and falling on one's face.

[theowinthrop · 5/10 · 8 November 2005]

For sporadic moments of amusement "No More Ladies" is perfectly satisfactory. It has the MGM lusciousness and gleam that the other studios envied. Note the great looking costumes on Joan Crawford, Joan Fontaine, and Gail Patrick wear. The sophistication is showed by the ho-ho-ho jokes that are dropped by the likes of Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Franchot Tone, and Edna Mae Oliver. This is the type of film that has the hero with a name like "Sherry". People go to night clubs, and to fancy restaurants, and take drives in Central Park at night (it is, after all, the 1930s).

The film is a bore - it occasionally amuses because of the cast, but the dialog is brittle for the sake of brittle. It is Noel Coward's world but not the real wit he brought - Coward's best plays show a streak of harshness and mutual malevolence mixed with affection in his couples like Amanda and Elyot in "Private Lives". They also tend to be smarter than the characters here.

Also the characters are not all that amusing nowadays. Montgomery's cousin is Charlie Ruggles, who is constantly drunk. Ruggles is a favorite comedian to me, but here he was dull. Reginald Denny is around as a British version of Ralph Bellamy - an available alter-suitor to Montgomery for Crawford, and while Denny is elegant (in a skittish sort of way) he is not at all as amusing as Ralph Bellamy was in "His Girl Friday" or The Awful Truth".

After watching this film I stopped to consider the three leads. Montgomery was typecast for most of the 1930s (except for an occasional film like "The Big House") as a happy, amoral socialite. Nobody really played the upper-crust cad as well as he did, but he got bored by it, and fought for meatier parts - and after his brilliant Danny in "Night Must Fall" he got them. Crawford reveled in parts like the hard-working lower class girl fighting her way to happiness, but she did many "socialite" parts as well. Along came "The Women", and she played a villainous social climber. After that came the really hard-boiled darker parts of the 1940s and 1950s like "Mildred Pierce" and "A Woman's Face" and "Flamingo Road". Tone, in 1935, would start having roles like Bryam in "Mutiny On The Bounty" - like Montgomery he would play his wealthy cads, but he would be able to step into nastier, meatier roles like "The Phantom Lady" and "The Man On The Eiffel Tower". When one talks to their fans about the great work of these three actors, it is the films where they played characters with demons after them that are recalled. Few really recall a piece of meaningless cotton candy like "No More Ladies" regarding any of them.

Cheaters never change--in 80 years!

[rhoda-9 · 6/10 · 17 May 2019]

Don't know why so many here rate this so low. It's never more than pleasantly inconsequential, but it's hardly painful to watch, and for the women there are Adrian's divine dresses. The dialogue is not top-flight wit but it's light and amusing.

The plot, though, is as thin as the characters--all very simple yet contrived, cardboard figures cut to suit the occasion. Interesting, though, that the cheating husband's responses to being caught haven't changed in 80 years: "You know this doesn't mean anything, don't you?" and "You can't make me feel any worse than I do already. So leave me alone."

Joan Crawford, though occasionally amusing in her heavy-handed way, is much happier having Emotions, being earnest, anguished, the lot. Edna May Oliver, as her grandmother, however (startling in silver hair that one first takes for platinum), doesn't stint on the laughs, taking full advantage of the frankness and tactlessness that are the prerogative of spirited old ladies.

Glamorous fluff...Edna May Oliver is the only reason for staying with it...

[Doylenf · 4/10 · 8 November 2005]

MGM gloss is evident in every Joan Crawford close-up. As a matter of fact, it's evident in the loving way Robert Montgomery and Franchot Tone have also been given handsome close-ups. But the big scene-stealer here is the lady who gets the best lines and the least flattering close-ups: Edna May Oliver.

As a silver-haired dowager who enjoys putting stuffy society swells in their place with a tart remark, she's a welcome presence in a film with a plot so ordinary that it was hardly worth bothering about. You can sit through the whole film admiring the costumes Joan Crawford wears with her special flair for looking like a well-dressed mannequin, her marble face with those high cheekbones and huge eyes assuring us that she is the STAR of this tiresome nonsense, but your eyes will stray to Edna May whenever she takes hold of a scene. Thankfully, that's pretty often.

When a baby-talking house guest calls someone "Peggy Weggy" she turns to Oliver who is supposed to introduce herself as Crawford's aunt. Missing hardly a beat, Oliver quips: "Just call me Fanny Aunty".

Is this the same playwright who later wrote THE PHILADELPHIA STORY for Hepburn? The plot is simply boy loves girl, boy loses girl, boy loves girl in a nutshell. There are a few pleasant moments with Charlie Ruggles and Gail Patrick--and if you don't blink--Joan Fontaine makes a fleeting appearance with a pained expression on her face. Hardly an inspiring debut.

Typical of the kind of fluff that began harming careers back in the 1930s. You can afford to miss it, believe me.

Witty dialogue and a good supporting cast

[mritchie · 8/10 · 16 August 2002]

The unoriginal plot, about a rich married couple dealing with problems of infidelity, is secondary here to the clever dialogue by Donald Ogden Stewart, who wrote the screenplay to The Philadelphia Story, and to a strong supporing cast. Joan Crawford is fine, but Robert Montgomery and Franchot Tone, fighting for Crawford's hand, wind up being nearly indistinguishable from each other, both in looks and in character. That leaves the supporting cast to rescue the film: Charles Ruggles has a fun bit as a slurring drunk and Arthur Treacher comes in at the end as a stuffy Brit who mumbles loudly and misuses American slang. Even Gail Patrick, who isn't normally given much to do in her man-stealing parts, is fine here. But the best is Edna May Oliver, playing the wise and witty matriarch--she steals every scene she's in and was the main reason I finished watching the movie.

Granny and Rover are the winners here.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 23 March 2020]

Edna May Oliver is the delightful middle aged character actress whose appearance could help raise the quality of any sort of Hollywood drivel, irregardless of what studio that she was at. Here, she is Joan Crawford's grandmother, a delightful octogenarian who can't stand people of her own age because they are her age, and she has refused to be her age. She has no room for nonsense, and for her granddaughter, she will have to deal with a lot of it. Crawford is tired of being stood up by longtime beau Robert Montgomery and finally is able to push him into marriage. But will he be able to avoid the attention of the other ladies? And will she be able to avoid the charms of Franchot Tone who is willing to wait for Montgomery to screw up? It's more MGM gloss in a standard romantic comedy triangle, and thanks to an adept cast, this rises above just being your average woman's picture.

I could have dealt without the constant drunkenness of the character played by the usually amusing Charlie Ruggles go over the top, overdoing the schtick here. Gail Patrick, Vivienne Osborne and Joan Fontaine (in a don't blink or you'll miss here part) are among those tempted by Montgomery with Arthur Treacher adding droll comedy as Osborne's husband. Rover, the Old English Sheepdog, is adorable. Crawford, Montgomery and Tone could play these parts in their sleep with the two men interchangeable, but it is Edna May Oliver who gets the bulk of the witty lines, stealing the film. Enjoyable for the MGM gloss and witty situations, but there's a feeling that I've seen this done before, and much, much better.

Star-power doesn't help this weak, poorly scripted film

[movingpicturegal · 3/10 · 29 March 2006]

With Joan Crawford as satin-gowned, glamorous Marcia of the shades of white/art deco bedroom, Robert Montgomery as the well-dressed ladies man/playboy/heel who marries Marcia but can't stop chasing the ladies, sexy Franchot Tone as Jim, whose wife was stolen by our ladies man, Edna May Oliver as highball drinking, one-liner talking Grandma Fanny, and Charles Ruggles as the drunkard, plus a slick MGM look and feel - you would think this film would be smart, funny, terrific, all it should be - it's not.

The problem here is the lousy script - the characters do things that make little sense or just seems dumb, and more importantly, the film is just BORING. I was pretty much thinking "when is this going to end" - that's not a good thing. I did *not* find the two main characters sympathetic, so could really care less what happened to them. I mean, the Robert Montgomery character is just a complete cad, he should have been thrown out by her right near the beginning. Joan Crawford's character just comes across as a brat to me - so who cares what happens with her anyway. Even my handsome Franchot Tone is given so little to do here, he's just wasted. The acting here is fine, but with the story as it is, this film is just dull. Edna May Oliver is the only saving grace here, she *is* pretty funny.

Tiresome romantic comedy

[borsch · 17 August 2002]

You've seen it all before, folks--another tiresome romantic comedy, unredeemed by an accomplished cast and the trademark MGM gloss. Joan Crawford is especially wasted in the airy proceedings; her dramatic intensity has no outlet here, and she is forced to rely on her lesser skills as a sophisticated comedienne. This is Carole/Claudette/Irene territory, and, although Joan can give these ladies cards in spades when it comes to glamour, she lacks their lighter touch. I suspect two forces were at work here: the Production Code of 1933, which forced out earthy drama and bawdy comedy and pushed stars like Harlow and Crawford into fluff, and the "Norma" syndrome at MGM, which forced Crawford to take Norma's castoff parts. (No wonder Joan ended up "box-office poison" shortly after pictures like this alienated her fan base!) If you'd like to see Joan in comedies more suited to her persona, check out her splendidly bitchy Crystal in "The Women", or as the clueless Susan in "Susan and God".

Lady and the cad

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 22 May 2020]

Although the story and title didn't have me completely jumping out of my chair, Joan Crawford was always reason enough to want to see any of her films. She did have quite a number of misfires and not all her performances are particularly good, but at her best she was absolutely brilliant and a number of her films are must sees. Edna May Oliver is/was always a delight to watch and Robert Montgomery's role on paper sounded like it would suit him. Along with my love for films made in Hollywood's Golden Age, there were definitely reasons to see this film.

'No More Ladies' sadly to me was a disappointment and overall didn't work. Certainly not terrible, there are worse films of this type around, and has its moments, but everybody involved did far superior work in other films before and since. That is including, and actually come to think of it especially, Crawford. 'No More Ladies' overall fails on the romantic front, with nothing really to invest in, and effective comedy only appears in flashes.

There are good things in 'No More Ladies'. It does look great, which is one of two main virtues. A lot of time and effort clearly went into the production values here, with the glossy but never overblown photography and Crawford's beautiful clothes standing out. The music doesn't overbear or feel overused, with effective use of "All I Do is Dream of You".

Oliver is the other main redeeming value, would actually go as far to say that she is the best thing about the film. She is a sheer delight and brightens up the screen every time she appears, when she's there 'No More Ladies' really comes alive energy-wise and she relishes all the film's best lines. The script has moments where it does sparkle, almost all of it being with Oliver.

Crawford however plays her rather indecisively written character too broadly, not quite histrionic level but the part should have a light on the feet touch and Crawford plays it like she thought it was a drama. Montgomery brings next to no charm, nuance or sense of being at ease in his caddish role, looking like he was going through the motions. Franchot Tone fares better because he is in a role that suits him and he excels at playing suave, the problem with him is that he has too little to do. Found Charles Ruggles (at his most annoying) to be the worst, his overacting really grates and his drunk act borders on embarrassing. The direction is not just leaden but it also seemed indifferent.

A big problem for me watching 'No More Ladies' was how impossible it was to like, let alone root for, the characters. Especially Montgomery's, was at a loss throughout as to what people saw in him. Instead they are little more than dull or annoying or both ciphers that constantly make sudden and senseless decisions that suspend disbelief. Also felt that the chemistry between the leads was disconnected, which is a big reason as to why the romantic angle fails. Apart from with Oliver, the script is very leaden and thin, the moments meant to be funny lacked the necessary wit and sophistication and felt over-worked. The story, familiar ground with nothing new done with it, never really comes to life, while getting a little better around the halfway mark the first portions are dully paced and pretty stagy and even when picking up a little pace wise and being more eventful the second half felt muddled and silly.

Concluding, disappointingly lacklustre. 4/10

Give Him Up Gurl ... He Ain't All That!

[cdale-41392 · 4/10 · 13 January 2019]

The film opens with Marcia (Joan Crawford) waiting for her date Sherry (Robert Montgomery) to pick her up for dinner. He was supposed to pick her up at 7:00. At 9:00 Marcia says To Heck with All This and crawls into bed. Of course, he eventually does show up. He bursts into her room (because people didn't lock their bedroom doors in those days) and she tells him that it's over and to get out!

Or at least that's how it -should- have played ... but that would make for a short movie.

Instead, he gets her out on the town for dining / drinking / dancing. We see that Sherry is a very popular person and something of a "ladies' man". He never sits still and wants to hit as many clubs / parties as he can each evening. He's not the type to settle down!

He's also not a man to trust around your wife. Marcia and Sherry run into Jim (Franchot Tone) while they are at the bar. Sherry woo'd Jim's wife Diana at some point and she left Jim for him. Then Sherry grew tired of her and now she's married to some British aristocrat. Jim hasn't forgiven or forgotten.

That's why it's something of a surprise that Sherry kind of proposes to Marcia later that evening.

We don't see the wedding, but we see Sherry working his magic with some nubile young woman he runs into at the beach on their honeymoon. See, a leopard just doesn't change its spots.

Later, back in New York, Marcia has made plans to spend the weekend in the country. Grandmother Fanny (Edna May Oliver) and family friend / perpetual drunk Edgar (Charles Ruggles) joins them ... but Sherry is distracted by someone who was supposed to be Edgar's date - Theresa (Gail Patrick). Marcia, Fanny, and Edgar make the train. Sherry calls Marcia at their country house and lies to her about staying in town for the evening so he can take Theresa out for a spin. Marcia knows it's a lie and confronts him the next day.

This is where Joan displays her talent for slapping!

Anyway, Marcia has a plan to get even with Sherry. She throws an impromptu party and invites women Sherry has had flings with and men who have been affected by those flings.

Wouldn't you like to know how it goes?

This is a fairly pleasant film with some frustrating moments. I failed to see how Sherry is such a catch. He should have been thrown to the curb long ago; but I know it was a very different time back then. Adrian, Joan's favorite gown designer, went a bit over-the top with Joan's collars in this flick. In one scene her dress had a -square- collar, and in another she wears this big bizarre rigid bib/ funnel thing. It looks like she could've dumped her dinner on the flat part then held it up so it would slide down into her mouth. What was he thinking?

And on a random note ... Does anyone in this silver screen universe -ever- finish a drink? The bartender pours a cocktail, the players touch the rim of the glass to their lips, then they're off to the next thing.

Overall I'll give this film a ... *shrug*

Did I watch the same movie as these other reviewers?

[skyvue · 8/10 · 3 September 2005]

In the past 24 hours, I watched two 1930s comedies -- MERRILY WE LIVE and NO MORE LADIES.

IDMB users seemed to like MWL far more than I did. Many of the actors brought little to their roles in that film, and there's not a snappy bit of dialogue in the whole picture.

NML, on the other hand, is very witty, very well-acted, and quite entertaining. Yes, it might have been even better with someone other than Joan Crawford in the female lead, but Robert Montgomery is very strong and this was the most enjoyable work I'd ever seen Edna May Oliver deliver.

And I don't think, as one reviewer suggested, the Code impacted this movie very much -- in fact, it comes as being quite Pre-Code in nature. If you didn't know when it was made, one might easily guess it was pre-, not post-, code.

In short, not a classic, but quite snappy and entertaining and well worth watching.

Junk

[utgard14 · 4/10 · 11 January 2014]

I'm not a big fan of most of Joan Crawford's movie from the '30s. Most of them revolve around dislikable characters, usually involved in stupid love triangles. Here's another winner. Joan's in love with Robert Montgomery, an incorrigible womanizer and liar. We're supposed to find his antics funny I guess. Anyway, Joan marries him knowing he's a louse. Then when he cheats she acts surprised and comes up with a stupid plan to get him back. Franchot Tone figures into this and he's no more likable than in any of his other movies with Joan.

The comedy relief comes mostly from Edna May Oliver and Charlie Ruggles. Oliver was the best thing about the movie, though that seems overstated somewhat by other reviews I've read. She wasn't THAT good. It's not like she saved this sinking ship. For those of us who have seen Oliver in other, better movies, we know she has had better roles than this. But still, weighed against the rest of the cast, she is the best here. Ruggles is awful. He always was a mixed bag. Sometimes I could enjoy him but others he was just annoying. This is the latter, with Ruggles doing a terrible drunk act that got old in the first scene. Just a poor movie. I hated the main characters and didn't care what happened to them. Avoid it unless you're a die-hard fan of the stars and easily forgive their clunkers. Joan Fontaine makes her film debut under the name Joan Burfield.

Some funny lines

[blcrumpacker · 10 October 2003]

This film is not entirely dismal. Robert Montgomery is light and smooth as the playboy who nails anyone he wants, including the wives of his friends. The long list includes Gail Patrick, who plays Carole Lombard's nasty older high society sister in "My Man Godfrey". In this bizarro world film, she is a banjo playing bar fly. Anyway, before RM and Joan Crawford get married, he is told not to go into her room because she is in bed. Response: "Since when is a lady in bed an object of repugnance?" Joan runs around in sharp designer outfits, and restrains herself from chewing the scenery - much. In short, some snappy dialogue amid the heavy drinking and innuendos. To quote someone clever, "marriage is the death of hope and the birth of despair." BC

Smoke, Drink, and Be Married

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 12 August 2008]

Attractive socialite Joan Crawford (as Marcia) waits over two hours for dinner at seven with randy Robert Montgomery (as Sherry); then, she furiously strips off her evening wear, and hits the sheets. Ms. Crawford is comforted by gruff grandmother Edna May Oliver (as Fanny). Mr. Montgomery arrives to charm Crawford out of her bed, and into the nightclubs. While out drinking, the two encounter both potential and former romantic partners. Returning, separately, to Crawford's home, the two share a late-night snack, and decide to marry. Though happily in love, they find it difficult to change the old lifestyle...

Crawford looks very glamorous, photographed by Oliver Marsh. The noteworthy supporting cast includes soon-to-be husband Franchot Tone (as Jim), one of Crawford's suitors. In her debut appearance, young Joan Fontaine (as Caroline) plays one of Montgomery's admirers (he calls her "Old Carol"). Ms. Oliver, the most amusing, stays home and plays backgammon with Reginald Denny (as Oliver). Everyone smokes and drinks up a storm. Montgomery acts tipsy at times, but Charles Ruggles (as Edgar) plays drunk throughout. All are celebrating the end of Prohibition, no doubt.

***** No More Ladies (1935) Edward H. Griffith ~ Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Edna May Oliver

nuts to you!

[Mira8 · 8/10 · 8 November 2005]

Just saw this little known gem on AMC, and I rather liked it.

Yes, the dialogue was often banal.

And yes, Joan's eyebrows are scary

But overall, it's fun and light. I was laughing out loud, and I think you will be too.

And I always wonder when seeing a movie like this - did anyone ever really live that way?

The ending is a little odd.

But Franchot Tone as Cousin Drunky and Edna Mae Oliver as Grandma Sarcasmo just steal the show.

Arthur Treacher as the befuddled Brit is also quite clever.

"I don't believe it! It's Petty Wetty!"

[Maleejandra · 8/10 · 29 January 2008]

Sherry Warren (Robert Montgomery) has never been one for marriage or dating only one woman. His reputation is well known, but his charm brings women flocking to him. One such woman is Marcia Townsend (Joan Crawford), a beautiful socialite who keeps company with Sherry knowing full-well the kind of man he is. But she can't help but love him. Finally, their relationship culminates into marriage, and the two prepare to live happily ever after. That is, until Sherry steals his best friend's girl (Gail Patrick), a showgirl in the city. When Marcia finds out, she is disappointed and heartbroken, but her retaliation isn't divorce. Instead, she throws a party for Sherry with some of the ladies of his past and their scorned husbands (Franchot Tone).

Filled with witty dialog and talented stars, No More Ladies is a purely entertaining film. It perfectly represents the class and mischief that blended so well during the 1930s. This film managed to get past the censors with topics like adultery and scenes like that of Crawford in her underwear. However, the wealthy characters exude sophistication, so their naughtiness is easily forgiven. After all, "Since when has a lady in bed been an object of repugnance?"

It's just plain FUNNY!

[gmzewski · 8/10 · 24 October 2007]

While this genre of film is not my viewing of choice, I watched it for an entirely different reason, and was I surprised! Although a bit slow in parts, its star, Joan Crawford, seems to drag it down just a bit, by playing it too seriously. Every other character fits their part perfectly and more! Robert Montgomery is an absolute cad, Franchot Tone as suave as he can be, and all the others playing the part as though they're all a bit drunk or tipsy, make it worthwhile. Charlie Ruggles, as opposed to his later suave, smooth roles, plays a happy drunk, who lightens up the story with his goofy aphorisms, and Edna May Oliver, parodies her "dowdiness" with an endless stream of "bon mots" and one- liners for every scene, but it's Arthur Treacher, as the happy drunk, who steals the show. It's almost as though he's parodying his "Englishness" for the role, he's absolutely hilarious! I've never seen Treacher as anything but the stuffy butler, it's him who makes it worth watching and laughing! Yes, a real keeper! If you enjoy light comedy, watch this one. it's just plain FUNNY!

For Fans of the Cast Only

[Michael_Elliott · 20 June 2013]

No More Ladies (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Joan Crawford plays a jealous woman who knows that her womanizing boyfriend (Robert Montgomery) is never up to anything good. Even though that's the case, the two get married but this doesn't stop him from seeing women so Joan decides to throw a party of her own to make him jealous. NO MORE LADIES is pretty much a "B" story with an "A" cast and the end result isn't a classic but fans of the cast should at least want to watch it once. I think the best thing the film has going for it are the performances with Crawford leading the way. She's certainly very believable as the woman whose heart is breaking because the man she loves keeps stepping out on her. She's also believable in her scenes with Franchot Tone, the man who wants to marry her. The two of them share some nice chemistry and this makes for some good scenes. Charles Ruggles is also very good in his supporting role as a drunk and we also get Edna May Oliver, Reginald Denny, Joan Fontaine and Gail Patrick in small roles. I think the biggest problem with this film is that it really doesn't have the guts to stand out or try to be anything special. Crawford basically gets walked on the entire movie and once her revenge starts to happen the film just goes extremely soft. I'm not going to ruin what happens but it's quite predictable and leads up to a rather silly and embarrassing ending. Still, fans of the stars will want to check this out for them but just don't expect a classic.